Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1153 The Clash in the Interview Room: Can We Pass All of Them? (Two Chapters Combined)
As Geng Jianting's voice faded, the examination room echoed with the clatter of pens scratching across paper. Some clicked their tongues in frustration, while others hastily added a couple of words to the corner of their papers. Many reluctantly put down their pens, mainly because they felt their answers were not comprehensive enough and could be improved.

However, the people at the door had already taken the lead in standing up, and the rest of the people did the same. Then, more than twenty people lined up and walked out of the door, and as they passed by, they couldn't help but look at the answer sheets of the other people.

The exam papers in dialect received the most attention. Some people breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that he had written less on his paper than they had. Others, after seeing his answers clearly, showed expressions of realization and regret.

Many acquaintances also started whispering among themselves.

The sounds of conversation coming from the next exam room could be heard in the corridor; they were vaguely discussing the exam papers.

Fang Yan walked in the middle of the line, with Song Jianzhong beside him holding the examination admission ticket and saying to him:
"Brother Fang, I answered them all!"

Upon hearing this, students from other classes also indicated that they had answered the questions on their test papers.

Fang Yan smiled and said to them:
"That's good. Don't think about the written test for now, focus on the interview!"

The group readily agreed.

Once in the corridor, the people from the other exam rooms came out and started asking each other about the questions they had just answered and comparing their answers.

At this moment, the dialect became the focus of everyone's attention.

Everyone sought him out to ask questions, wanting to know if their answers were correct.

The scene suddenly became a bit chaotic.

However, a teacher soon came over and stopped the process, because the next interview exam was about to begin.

There were four groups in total. The groups walked to the entrance of the large conference room at the end of the corridor, where teachers were already waiting. Everyone checked their admission tickets, and then those whose names were called went in for the interview.

Fang Yan was in the middle, and at the front of their group was Zhu Lina from their class.

Yan Yifan was at the very front of the other group, and those at the front of the line were under a lot of psychological pressure.

The expressions on their faces made Fang Yan feel like they were going to the execution ground.

Fang Yan couldn't help but remind them:

"Just treat it like treating a patient. Don't be nervous. What kind of patients haven't we seen? I've shared all my rare and difficult cases with you. What are you afraid of?"

Upon hearing this, the two, who had been somewhat tense, paused slightly.

I thought that made sense. If the difficulty level was even higher than that of medical cases in dialects, then that would be too extreme.

The medical cases shared by Fang Yan involve patients from all over the world, most of which are difficult and complicated cases that others cannot solve. No matter how difficult the case is, can it be more difficult than his medical cases?
Soon, when the time was up, the examiners began to have the students enter the meeting room to start the interview and Q&A session.

Once inside, the door is closed, and you can't hear anything inside.

However, from the moment the door opened, everyone could see that there were at least twenty examiners inside. Each of the four groups had one person enter, meaning that each person would face at least four to five examiners.

The question will be asked from at least four or five angles.

According to the rules, they will score each person individually and then calculate an overall score.

The first round of answers lasted about five minutes, and soon all four people came out.

They were not allowed to linger here or speak, and were taken directly downstairs.

The four people in the second round immediately went in again.

This time, the exam lasted about five minutes before the test takers came out. Everyone had a different expression; some were annoyed, some were excited, and some were clearly bewildered by the questions.

Fang Yan was in the fifth round, and he felt that it wouldn't be long before it was his turn.

His group consisted of Li Zhengji from Group 1, Chu Qiaonan from Group 3, and an unknown person from Group 4.

The meeting room was more spacious than I had imagined. Behind the long table at the front sat more than twenty examiners, divided into four rows. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were all people I knew who spoke the local dialect.

Yue Meizhong, Ren Yingqiu, Wang Yuchuan, Wang Wending, Zhao Xiwu, Qian Boxuan, Ji Zhongpu, Wang Boyue, Zhao Xinbo, Fang Yaozhong, Guo Shikui, Dong Jianhua, Shi Zhensheng, Chen Keji, and even their homeroom teacher Lao Liu, Liu Duzhou, are all in it.

Upon seeing Fang Yan enter, smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

Some people even nodded at him.

Fang Yan nodded in response.

Someone informed them:

"Stand according to the signs for groups one through four, and then the interview questions and answers will begin."

After hearing the dialect, they stopped at the second group's location.

The examiners for the dialect test were Qian Boxuan, Ji Zhongpu, Wang Boyue, Zhao Xinbo, and Fang Yaozhong.

Apart from Ji Zhongpu, the president of the Huaxia Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Zhao Xinbo, an academic committee member of the academy, everyone else was quite familiar with the local dialect.

Qian Boxuan, one of the eight great gynecologists of modern times, personally apprenticed under him.

Wang Boyue, a good friend of my maternal grandfather, was an old acquaintance.

And then there's our former homeroom teacher, Lao Fang, who's also one of the shareholders of his own company.

This combination is relatively unfamiliar; at least two of the people are not well-acquainted and have had little interaction with each other.

He was even more familiar with other groups.

Next, Ji Zhongpu, who was also his immediate supervisor and the president of the Huaxia Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was the first person to ask about dialects today.

His gaze fell on the pages of the book on the table. He turned to one page and randomly picked a question to ask Fang Yan:

"Excuse me, examinee, in the section on pulmonary atrophy, pulmonary abscess, cough, and dyspnea in the *Jinkui Yaolue*, it says, 'In cases of pulmonary atrophy, the patient spits out saliva without coughing, and is not thirsty, but will inevitably experience urinary incontinence and frequent urination. The reason for this is that the upper body is deficient and cannot control the lower body. This is due to cold in the lungs, which will inevitably cause dizziness and excessive saliva. A decoction of licorice and dried ginger should be used to warm it.' Are 'cold in the lungs' and 'lung cold' synonymous here? If the patient also experiences 'constant spitting of saliva, dry throat, and thirst,' how should this be differentiated?"

After saying that, he glanced at his watch and said:

You have half a minute to think.

Fang Yan narrowed his eyes. This question seemed basic, but it actually contained two pitfalls.

First, we will distinguish between "cold in the lungs" and "lung chill".

Ordinary test takers often confuse the two, but there is a difference between "cold" and "chill": "chill" is mostly due to external pathogenic factors, while "chill" is more of a false appearance.

Just like the dried ginger in licorice and dried ginger soup, it is not drastic and dispels cold, but rather warms and nourishes, which is exactly the deficiency syndrome of "the upper body is too weak to control the lower body".

Thinking further, the symptoms of "excessive drooling and dry throat with thirst" are even more troublesome.

The dividing line is whether one is thirsty or not. For those who are not thirsty, use licorice and dried ginger soup. But what about those who are thirsty? It depends on whether it's genuine or not.

If it is deficiency heat, the saliva should be thick and sticky, and the thirst will not be too intense, which is the syndrome of Mai Men Dong Tang. If it is excess heat, the saliva will probably be yellow, thick and fishy, ​​and the thirst will be severe, which means it should be considered lung abscess, and Qian Jin Wei Jing Tang may be the right treatment.

Fang Yan thought quickly; before even half a minute had passed, he spoke:
"I figured it out."

"Please answer!" Dean Ji said to him.

Fang Yan composed himself and replied:
“‘Cold in the lungs’ is not simply cold in the lungs. It also involves weak lung qi, which cannot retain body fluids, so it causes bedwetting and frequent urination. This is called ‘deficient cold’. On the other hand, cold in the lungs is mostly caused by cold pathogens invading the lungs, which mainly manifests as cough and excessive clear phlegm. This is called ‘excessive cold’.”

"If the patient keeps drooling, has a dry throat, and is always thirsty, we need to determine whether it is deficiency heat or excess heat. If it is deficiency heat, the drool is sticky, and the patient prefers to drink hot drinks when thirsty. The tongue is red with little coating, indicating that the body fluids in the lungs have been depleted. In this case, Mai Men Dong Tang (Ophiopogon Decoction) is sufficient. If it is excess heat, the drool is yellow and thick, the patient is extremely thirsty and wants to drink cold drinks. The tongue is red with a yellow coating, indicating that this is actually the beginning of lung abscess. In this case, Qian Jin Wei Jing Tang (Thousand Gold Reed Stem Decoction) is necessary."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dean Ji nodded, and then Zhao Xinbo, who was standing next to him, followed up with a question, her tone sharp:

"You said that Mai Men Dong Tang is used for lung atrophy due to deficiency heat. However, the 'Qian Jin Fang' also has 'Zhi Gan Cao Tang' for lung atrophy. Both formulas use Mai Men Dong and Gan Cao. When should Mai Men Dong Tang be used alone, and when should Zhi Gan Cao Tang be used? If the patient also has palpitations and an irregular pulse, how should we choose?"

This time, Fang Yan responded calmly without hesitation:
"Mai Men Dong Tang mainly replenishes the yin fluid in the lungs and stomach, and is suitable for patients with pulmonary atrophy, whose main symptoms are coughing up phlegm and a very dry throat; Zhi Gan Cao Tang is more inclined to nourish yin and blood, promote yang qi and regulate pulse, and is suitable for patients with pulmonary atrophy who also have palpitations and irregular pulse, which means that the lungs and heart are both having problems."

After explaining the dialect, he gave examples:
“Last year I encountered a patient with pulmonary atrophy who not only coughed up phlegm but also had palpitations and an irregular pulse. At first, I used Mai Men Dong Tang to nourish Yin. When the phlegm decreased, I switched to Zhi Gan Cao Tang and added some Schisandra chinensis. After half a month, the pulse became much more regular. This is the meaning of treating both the lungs and the heart.”

Qian Boxuan then looked up and steered the conversation toward the connection between gynecology and the pulmonary system:
"If a woman suffers from pulmonary atrophy after childbirth, exhibiting symptoms such as drooling, shortness of breath, and weakness, what medications should be added to her treatment compared to those for pulmonary atrophy in a healthy person? What medications should be avoided? Is there any commonality between the mechanism of 'extreme deficiency generating wind' in the 'Treatise on Pulse and Symptoms of Postpartum Diseases in Women' in the Golden Chamber and the 'upper deficiency unable to control the lower' in 'coldness in the lungs'?"

Fang Yan glanced at Qian Lao; this was a barrage of attacks.

There was absolutely no intention to give them a hand just because they were acquaintances.

He sorted through the other person's question and then said:

"Most women who develop pulmonary atrophy also suffer from deficiency of both qi and blood."

"We need to add angelica and astragalus to replenish qi and blood. We can't use strong medicines like mulberry bark and lepidium seed, because they might damage the vital energy of the new mother."

"Furthermore, the concepts of 'extreme deficiency generates wind' and 'the upper burner being deficient and unable to control the lower burner' are essentially the same: when the body's vital energy is too weak, it can no longer properly regulate bodily functions."

"The former is due to insufficient blood, which cannot nourish the muscles, bones, and meridians; the latter is due to weak lung qi, which cannot retain body fluids. Although one is related to the muscles and bones and the other to the lungs and body fluids, the core is the same: 'When you are deficient, you cannot control your body fluids.' The principle is the same."

After that, Wang Boyue took over the conversation, smiling as he asked Fang Yan:

"For test takers, if a patient with pulmonary atrophy experiences abdominal distension and loose stools after prolonged use of yin-nourishing herbs such as Ophiopogon japonicus and Polygonatum odoratum, should they continue to nourish yin or switch to warming herbs? How should the phrase 'strong fire consumes qi, gentle fire generates qi' from the Inner Canon be understood here?"

This was a test of his ability to reverse a misdiagnosis, which was Fang Yan's forte. However, Old Wang's approach was more skillful. Fang Yan immediately replied:

"This is because the yin-nourishing medicine was used too much, which damaged the spleen and stomach. We need to reduce the amount of yin-nourishing medicine first, and add stir-fried Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos to strengthen the spleen and stomach. Once the spleen and stomach function is better, we can slowly add the yin-nourishing medicine back."

"The 'strong fire consumes qi' here means that using too many bitter and cold yin-nourishing herbs can damage the qi of the spleen and stomach; 'gentle fire generates qi' means that yin nourishment should be moderate, combined with spleen-strengthening herbs, so that yin can be replenished without harming yang qi. For example, last year I treated a patient with pulmonary atrophy, and when I used Mai Men Dong Tang, I added some roasted rice sprouts, which could prevent damage to the stomach and help the body generate qi and blood." After this answer, the old prescription came last.

He smiled at Fang Yan and said:
"Returning to the original text of the *Jinkui Yaolue*, both 'pulmonary atrophy' and 'pulmonary abscess' belong to the lung system. Their pulse characteristics are one of deficiency and one of excess; one is 'rapid and weak pulse at the cunkou point,' and the other is 'rapid and strong pulse.' If a patient's pulse is rapid and also 'floating and weak,' is it pulmonary atrophy or pulmonary abscess? Why? What prescription should be used with modifications?"

Lao Fang's question was quite standard, at least in terms of dialect.

Without much thought, Fang Yan said:
"This is clearly a deficiency-heat syndrome of pulmonary atrophy."

Speak the dialect crisply and clearly:

"A rapid pulse indicates heat, but if the pulse is superficial and weak, it indicates deficiency, which corresponds to the saying 'a rapid and weak pulse at the cunkou point'."

“If it were a lung abscess, the pulse would be fast but strong, and it would definitely be accompanied by chest pain, cough with pus and blood, red tongue with yellow coating, and other symptoms; but this patient’s pulse is floating and weak, so it is definitely cough with phlegm and dry throat. Therefore, we need to use Mai Men Dong Tang, and add some Sha Shen and Chuan Bei, which can nourish Yin and clear heat, and also help the lungs to flow smoothly downward.”

Fang Yaozhong nodded after hearing Fang Yan's reply.

Then he said to the dialect:

"Okay, all questions are asked."

Fang Yan nodded. He glanced at Ji Zhongpu, who had just put down his pen, tapped the score sheet twice, and gestured to the staff.

"The second group of candidates speaks in dialect; the interview is over," a staff member said.

As Fang Yan turned around, he caught a glimpse of Chu Qiaonan answering questions in Group 3, gesturing wildly as he spoke. Zhao Xiwu was stroking his beard, listening to Zhou Zuoyu's top student answer the questions.

Li Zhengji was answering at that moment, looking very calm.

The unfamiliar candidate in Group Four stood there, pale-faced, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the questioning.

The moment I stepped out of the meeting room, the noise from the corridor hit me.

The people behind him were peering through the door frame, and when they saw him come out, they immediately greeted him.

"Brother Fang, how did it go? No problem?" Lei Lian's voice trembled slightly as she stood in line behind, her admission ticket clenched tightly in her hand.

Just as Fang Yan was about to speak, a staff member led him to the stairwell:
"The exam is over. Please come this way."

There were already quite a few people downstairs, gathered in twos and threes. Some were reiterating their thought process for answering the questions by looking through the window, while others were writing down prescriptions on scratch paper with pencils.

Fang Yan glanced at his watch; it was already past 11 a.m. Just as he was wondering why these people hadn't left yet, a staff member gave him a meal ticket.

These are meal tickets from Xiyuan Hospital. The hospital provides meals for the more than one hundred people taking the postgraduate entrance exam today.

No wonder everyone stayed.

"Brother Fang!" The people who had finished their exams all gathered around Fang Yan as soon as they saw him.

They all started asking questions in their dialect.

Yan Yifan asked Fang Yan:

"Brother Fang, is Professor Ren Yingqiu still testing our understanding of the passages in the *Neijing*? The question I drew was 'Nourish Yang in spring and summer, nourish Yin in autumn and winter.' He stared at me and asked, 'Why can't we use bitter and cold medicines to nourish Yin?' I answered, 'To avoid damaging Yang Qi.' Is this line of thinking correct?"

He had barely finished speaking, and before Fang Yan could reply, another classmate immediately interrupted:
“You think that’s simple! Wang Boyue always asks me, ‘What’s the difference between chicken gizzard lining and Shenqu for treating infantile malnutrition?’ I only said that chicken gizzard lining is strong in dissolving stagnation, forgetting what he values ​​most: ‘Shenqu is slightly warm and won’t harm the spleen and stomach’—I just realized this in the stairwell and I’m kicking myself!”

"Don't panic, everyone!" Song Jianzhong, who had just come out from another group, squeezed through and asked:

"Brother Fang, does Zhao Xinbo still like to ask about 'the tongue and pulse differentiation between acute and chronic infantile convulsions'? I answered 'acute infantile convulsions have a red tongue, yellow coating, and rapid pulse, while chronic infantile convulsions have a pale tongue, white coating, and weak pulse,' and he didn't refute me. Is that correct?"

Fang Yan and his group were having a lively time, and many people gathered around. Since everyone knew Fang Yan, they all came over to check their answers.

In the noisy, chaotic dialect, I didn't know who to answer.

Just then, a sniffling sound came from outside the crowd. It was a girl with braided hair, probably from Capital Medical University. Her eyes were red as she spoke:

“I was completely stumped by Mr. Qian Boxuan’s questions… He said, ‘For women with amenorrhea, peach kernels and safflower are ineffective and may even worsen the abdominal pain,’ and asked me to analyze the cause. How would I know? I just blurted out, ‘It might be due to qi and blood deficiency.’ Only now do I realize that ‘stagnation over time leads to deficiency, so we must first replenish the qi and then attack the blood.’”

"Hey, I'm even worse off than you!" a tall boy slapped his thigh.

"Professor Guo Shikui asked me, 'Why is Panax notoginseng combined with Danshen Dripping Pills for coronary heart disease?' I replied, 'They both promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis.' He immediately countered, 'Then why not use Ligusticum chuanxiong?' I was speechless. Why is that?'"

As they were talking, Juliana asked:
"Brother Fang! Everyone's guessing Dean Ji's scoring criteria! Some say he values ​​'classic prescriptions combined with clinical practice' the most, is that true? When I answered 'lung abscess,' I specifically mentioned the empyema patient I observed with you last year, and the time I used reed stem decoction with patrinia..."

At this moment, Li Zhengji ran down the stairs and saw Fang Yan surrounded by people asking questions. He was taken aback. His appearance finally relieved some of the pressure on Fang Yan. Some people in the class also asked him how he answered.

Li Zhengji said:
"When I answered the question about 'differentiation between Zhenwu Decoction and Fuzi Decoction', I was based entirely on the case I discussed two days ago. I was lucky to come across an answer that I knew the answer to today."

Hearing Li Zhengji say this, many people looked on with envy.

Fang Yan said to him:
"You're being modest!"

He knew Li Zhengji's capabilities.

Upon hearing the dialect praising him, Li Zhengji said:

"But you were too fast. When you left, I was a little flustered, thinking that the time was up."

As they were talking, Chu Qiaonan came down, and people from his school gathered around. This guy was clearly a prominent figure at the school.

Then everyone started comparing answers. Fang Yan was the busiest, as he had to answer almost all the questions that had been asked in the class. However, this also allowed him to get a sense of everyone's answers.

Fortunately, there are basically no problems.

Around midnight, more people came down, while some were still taking exams. The staff started calling them to go eat and not to block the area, mainly because it was quite hot.

Then Fang Yan and the others went to the cafeteria to eat, while they waited.

One by one, some students arrived. Upon seeing the dialect, they immediately came over, not even thinking about eating, but checking their answers first.

The dialect was used in a way that was both funny and frustrating, but it's understandable.

Let them go get their food first, and then talk while they eat.

They ate their meal until 1:30 a.m., and only after everyone had arrived did Fang Yan and the others finish their work.

Fang Yan originally thought the teachers would come too, but they didn't.

They must have gone to eat in a private room. After Fang Yan and the others finished eating, they had a pretty good understanding of the situation. Apart from a few students being a little nervous during the interview and their answers not being comprehensive enough, there were basically no major problems.

At least from the perspective of dialect, everyone answered the question.

After all, they had been engaged in high-intensity medical work for more than a month, and everyone was a seasoned veteran.

"Brother Fang, how many of us do you think will pass the exam?" Just as everyone was getting ready to leave and get into their car, Song Jianzhong couldn't help but ask Fang Yan.

Actually, everyone wants to ask this question, but it's not easy to ask. The main problem is that if someone says in a dialect that someone is going to be eliminated, it's really frustrating.

However, someone still asked, and everyone looked at the dialect without prior arrangement.

Fang Yan was taken aback and said:

"If you ask me, I'd say they'll all pass."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy, and Cheng Baogui couldn't help but ask:
"real or fake?"

He said in dialect:

"Of course it's true."

"Don't you think about it? We went through the college entrance examination, and after arriving at the school, we immediately went through the class placement selection, and then we started our internship, and then we started seeing patients directly. And everyone here, who doesn't have a family tradition? Who hasn't been memorizing Chinese medicine classics since childhood?"

"Everyone has tried their best and performed to this extent. I think that's enough. Everyone has done their best. If they are still eliminated, then I think that's abnormal."

Upon hearing this from the dialect, Wang Zhijun, who had always been taciturn, said:

"Brother Fang is right. We already have a big advantage, and you all checked the answers just now. While we wouldn't say you performed exceptionally well, virtually no one made any major mistakes. Unless everyone else performs perfectly and surpasses us, I think our chances of passing are very high."

Song Jianzhong said during his consultation:

"It's not just passed, it's completely passed."

Wang Zhijun said:
"The chances of passing all of them are not small."

Fang Yan said to them:

"Then let's wait and see."

"See if I'm right or not."

After saying that, he led the way out of the cafeteria and headed towards the parking lot. The exam was over for today, and now all that was left was to wait for the results.

But he still had things to do...

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words is now complete. There will be an extra chapter later.
(End of this chapter)